Infant Toddler Learning & Development Foundations

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
52
Communication Skills and Knowledge
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (4 to 7 months)
During this period, the child may:
• Respond with babbling when
the infant care teacher asks
a question. (Hart and Risley
1999, 55)
• Laugh when a parent nuzzles
her face in the child’s belly, vocalizes
expectantly when she
pulls back, and laugh when she
nuzzles again. (3–6 mos.; Parks
2004, 11)
• Move body in a rocking motion
to get the infant care teacher
to continue rocking. (4-5 mos.;
Parks 2004, 57)
• Babble back and forth with
the infant care teacher during
diaper change. (5.5–6.5 mos.;
Parks 2004, 125)
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (9 to 17 months)
During this period, the child may:
• Copy the infant care teacher in
waving “bye-bye” to a parent
as he leaves the room. (Scaled
score of 9 for 12:16–13:15
mos.; Bayley 2006, No. 14,
88; 8 mos.; Meisels and others
2003, 19)
• Purse lips after hearing and
seeing the infant care teacher
make a sputtering sound with
her lips. (9 mos.; Apfel and
Provence 2001)
• Repeat the last word in an
adult’s question in order to
continue the conversation; for
example, saying “dat” after the
infant care teacher asks, “What
is that?” (11–16 mos.; Hart and
Risley 1999, 83)
• Respond with “yes” or “no”
when asked a simple question.
(11–16 mos.; Hart and Risley
1999, 83)
• Hold out a toy for the infant
care teacher to take and then
reach out to accept it when
the infant care teacher offers it
back. (12–15 mos.; Parks 2004,
122)
• Show an understanding that
a conversation must build on
what the other partner says; for
example, expressing, “bear”
when the infant care teacher
points to the stuffed bear and
asks, “What’s that?” (16 mos.;
Hart and Risley 1999, 81)
• Initiate back-and-forth interaction
with the infant care teacher
by babbling and then waiting
for the infant care teacher to
respond before babbling again.
(11–19 mos.; Hart and Risley
1999, 77; 12 mos.; Meisels and
others 2003, 27)
• Say “mmm” when eating, after
a parent says, “mmm.” (11–19
mos.; Hart and Risley 1999, 78)
Behaviors leading up to the
foundation (19 to 35 months)
During this period, the child may:
• Ask and answer simple questions,
such as “What’s that?” (19
mos.; Hart and Risley 1999, 61)
• Say, “huh?” when interacting
with the infant care teacher to
keep interaction going. (19 mos.;
Hart and Risley 1999, 62)
• Repeat or add on to what
she just said if the infant care
teacher does not respond right
away. (20–28 mos.; Hart and
Risley 1999, 105)
• Engage in short back-and-forth
interactions with a family member
by responding to comments,
questions, and prompts. (20–28
mos.; Hart and Risley 1999, 39)
• Respond almost immediately
after a parent finishes talking in
order to continue the interaction.
(20–28 mos.; Hart and Risley
1999, 97)
• Get frustrated if the infant care
teacher does not understand
what the child is trying to communicate.
(24–28.5 mos.; Parks
2004)
• Attempt to continue conversation,
even when the adult does
not understand him right away,
by trying to use different words
to communicate the meaning.
(27–30 mos.; Hulit and Howard
2006, 182)
• Sustain conversation about
one topic for one or two turns,
usually about something that
is in the here and now. (20–28
mos.; Hart and Risley 1999, 107;
27–30 mos.; Hulit and Howard
2006, 182)
• Respond verbally to adults’
questions or comments. (27–30
mos.; Hulit and Howard 2006,
182)